Out of lockdown?

Hello, everyone.

Marcel, Lulu, and Philibert were released from their forced confinement last night. For real!

Because, to tell you the truth, between sofa sessions, they live in a nice, very comfortable cover—except that now… well, there aren’t any more sofa sessions! So this morning, as I was walking through the room where the covers are stored, I heard a squeak. So I unzipped the cover, and there they were, jumping all over me!

Apparently, the Hortenses were making too much noise, they were fed up with it, and I was subjecting these poor creatures to mistreatment that was severely condemned by some obscure article of the Geneva Convention specifically concerning stuffed animals (a complete fabrication on their part, I’m afraid…)

Since I have a soft spot, I gave in to the pressure—but on one condition: a mask for everyone! The girls complained; they all wanted one that matched their outfits. So they’re waiting their turn, neatly tucked away in their pouches!

And here are the freed men!

On a more serious note, here we are on the next page. Clearly not like before, and certainly not yet like what comes next. Just the next step.

Laurent and I want to thank you for your support over the past eight weeks. Thank you for the kind messages, the many orders, your endless patience with the long delivery times, all the questions about patchwork and embroidery that made me feel how much you haven’t forgotten me even though I’ve moved on to other things, your enthusiasm for my humble video on “sewing a mask with ease,” and your encouragement and empathy during my little outburst a few days ago…

This actually led to an unexpected surge in orders for masks—which didn’t even exist yet! I’m still overwhelmed by this show of trust. THANK YOU!

So there they are, on the website, where they’re launching the “Sewn Items” section—which was supposed to be coming soon—but where no “Cloth Masks” section was ever planned!!!

I finally managed to track down those special aluminum nose clips that keep my goggles from fogging up. All our goggles are equipped with them. We went to great lengths to find the right fabrics. We did our best to test them in-house to ensure they were comfortable.

But be careful: our little face masks designed to prevent unwanted drooling—while they are certainly cute, I’ll grant you that—are merely an extra precaution, a helpful accessory, but they are not medical devices; they are neither approved nor certified. 

We’re still really touched that you asked for them—and even ordered them—before they were even released!

As our beloved friend Peggy, the talented creator of the ZAZOBOUZI brand, has already written, this is the most depressing thing we’ve ever sewn! But that’s just how it is—it’s the accessory of the moment. All we hope is that it’s also the most fleeting. Let’s all make sure that our adherence to all these protective measures and social distancing guidelines we’re urged to follow allows us to quickly return to our lives as social beings. Maybe we’ll be just a tad more sensible??? (We can always dream) 😉

Now that the masks are up and running, I’m getting started on all the projects that have been on the launch pad since last September, ready for spring 2020.

See you very soon!

Hugs, friends! Béné